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Question 53: According to the passage, Moby Dick is ___.
A. a romantic adventure B. a single-faceted work
C. a short story about a whale D. symbolic of humanity fighting the universe
Question 54: The word "metamorphosis" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____.
A. circle B. change C. mysticism D. descent
Question 55: The passage would most likely be assigned reading in a course on ____.
A. nineteenth-century novels B. American history
C. oceanography D. modem American literature
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions from 56 to 65.
A rather surprising geographical feature of Antarctica is that a huge freshwater lake, one of the world's
largest and deepest, lies hidden there under four kilometers of ice. Now known as Lake Vostok, this huge
body of water is located under the ice block that comprises Antarctica. The lake is able to exist in its
unfrozen state beneath this block of ice because its waters are warmed by geothermal heat from the earth's
core. The thick glacier above Lake Vostok actually insulates it from the frigid temperatures on the surface.
The lake was first discovered in the 1970s while a research team was conducting an aerial survey of the
area. Radio waves from the survey equipment penetrated the ice and revealed a body of water of
indeterminate size. It was not until much more recently that data collected by satellite made scientists
aware of the tremendous size of the lake; the satellite-borne radar detected an extremely flat region where
the ice remains level because it is floating on the water of the lake.
The discovery of such a huge freshwater lake trapped under Antarctica is of interest to the scientific
community because of the potential that the lake contains ancient microbes that have survived for
thousands upon thousands of years, unaffected by factors such as nuclear fallout and elevated ultraviolet
light that have affected organisms in more exposed areas. The downside of the discovery, however, lies in
the difficulty of conducting research on the lake in such a harsh climate and in the problems associated
with obtaining uncontaminated samples from the lake without actually exposing the lake to
contamination. Scientists are looking for possible ways to accomplish this.
Question 56: The word "hidden" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. undrinkable B. untouched C. unexploitable D. undiscovered
Question 57: What is true of Lake Vostok?
A. It is completely frozen. B. It is a saltwater lake.
C. It is beneath a thick slab of ice. D. It is heated by the sun.
Question 58: Which of the following is closest in meaning to "frigid" in paragraph 1?
A. Extremely cold B. Easily broken C. Quite harsh D. Lukewarm
Question 59: All of the following are true about the 1970 survey of Antarctica EXCEPT that it __
A. was conducted by air B. made use of radio waves
C. could not determine the lake's exact size D. was controlled by a satellite
Question 60: It can be inferred from the passage that the ice would not be flat if ___.
A. there were no lake underneath B. the lake were not so big
C. Antarctica were not so cold D. radio waves were not used
Question 61: The word "microbes" in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by which of the following?
A. Pieces of dust B. Tiny bubbles C. Tiny organisms D. Rays of light
Question 62: Lake Vostok is potentially important to scientists because it
A. can be studied using radio waves B. may contain uncontaminated microbes
C. may have elevated levels of ultraviolet light D. has already been contaminated
Question 63: The word "downside" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __
A. bottom level B. negative aspect C. underside D. buried section
Question 64: The last paragraph suggests that scientists should be aware of
A. further discoveries on the surface of Antarctica
B. problems with satellite-borne radar equipment
C. ways to study Lake Vostok without contaminating it